1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing device, and in particular, to an image processing device which divides a photographed image, which has been photographed by a photographing means, into partial images, and estimates the date of the photographed image on the basis of the respective partial images.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional technique has been proposed which searches for the degree of similarity of an object included in an image, and provides information relating to the object. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2001-229382 discloses a technique in which characteristic amounts of a plurality of images obtained by photographing an object in advance under plural conditions are extracted. For each characteristic amount relating to the same object, information relating to the object and the object associated therewith are generated and stored in a database. By using this database, the degree of similarity of an object included in an inputted image is retrieved, and information relating to that object is provided.
Further, JP-A No. 2002-117409 proposes a technique in which, when an object is extracted by dividing an image into regions by using clustering and the degree of similarity of the object is searched for, a background mask of the image is generated. On the basis of this background mask, background regions are detected and eliminated, such that the object is extracted.
In a database of images used at the time of such searching for the degree of similarity of an object of an image, conventionally, the user himself/herself must set the types or names of the objects in advance, and must register objects of the set types or names in the database. The labor involved in the database registration work and the like is bothersome.
Moreover, JP-A No. 10-233985 discloses a technique in which images, which are photographed by a digital camera to which a GPS (Global Positioning System) device is connected, are efficiently categorized on the basis of the GPS information obtained by the GPS device, such as position information, time information, and the like.
In the technique disclosed in JP-A No. 10-233985, albums corresponding to the places where the photographing took place can be prepared. However, for images which were photographed in the past, such as photographs or the like collected in old albums or the like, the photographing time period of an image at which the photographing month/date/year is not recorded cannot be known, and it is not possible to address the demands of users who wish to classify such photographs in accordance with their photographing time periods.